TV drama charts how hack attack closes UK
A TV thriller is revealing how a cyber attack could cripple the UK.
The Undeclared War shows an economy in free fall and a Russian state attempting to hack our computer systems.
Ian Katz, Channel 4’s chief content officer, was worried viewers might think a trailer for the drama, featuring a fictional news bulletin, was real.
Creator Peter Kosminsky said: “There is nothing in this show that either hasn’t happened or is not being war-gamed by people trying to prepare for these things.”
The drama centres on Saara Parvin, a student doing work experience at GCHQ. On her first day, a bug infiltrates systems. Her team, led by Mission Impossible star Simon Pegg, battles as planes are grounded, hospitals face chaos, supermarkets run out of stock and communications black out.
Pegg said: “I was gripped by the story. It feels like an important piece of television.”